MANAGEMENT AS A PROFESSION
The criteria necessary for professional status include three major components:
1. An acceptable level of competence in a specified field of knowledge.
2. The placing of the interests of society before personal interests in carrying out functions of the profession.
3. A code of conduct as behavior imposed upon members and usually enforced internallyT
There have been many studies during the past few years that have attempted to identify the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. On such study compared many of the lists already developed. Those characteristics common to all or most of the lists indicated that an entrepreneur tends to have the following characteristics:
High level of physical energy
Ability to set clear goals and plans to reach goals
Strong positive attitudes
High levels of moral strength
Willingness to take chances
Industrious – need to be always working at something
Takes the initiative in starting work
High level of reasoning ability
Able to make decisions
Willing to lead others
Organized
Positive attitude towards others
Uses time effectively
Willing and eager to learn
Desire to satisfy the needs of others
Able to change and adapt to changing environment
Able to seek and find information needed to achieve their goals
Avoids procrastination
Have a determined persistence
Informed about latest trends and needs
Willing to take responsibility
Knows how to manage money
Able to motivate others
Always looking for opportunities
Willing to recognize and reward contributions of others
Restless eager to do something new
Learns from failure and moves on.
Obviously not all entrepreneurs are alike, but based on a variety of studies most of the successful ones have the above characteristics.
Task. Answer the questions and discuss:
What characteristics do you find absolutely necessary for every manager?
Which of them are inborn and which ones can be acquired?
What are of primary importance?
Do you possess them?
TEXT 4
‘INTERNATIONAL’ MANAGERS
Executives and managers who can operate effectively across cultures andnational borders are invaluable players in the global business arena. As the world grows ever smaller, improved cross-cultural skills and an international perspective are critical executive qualities. As more and more companies expand abroad, competition for top talent to run new international operations will steadily intensify.
The 2010s will test the capacities of multinational corporations to react rapidly to global changes in human resources as in all other areas of the company. Global selection systems enable a company to find the best person anywhere in the world for a given position. The system measures applicants according to a group of 12 character attributes. These twelve categories are: motivations, expectations, open-mindedness, respect for other beliefs, trust in people, tolerance, personal control, flexibility, patience, social adaptability, initiative, risk-taking, sense of humour, interpersonal interest, spouse communication.
Beyond superior technical and managerial skills, an effective international executive displays a combination of desirable personal qualities. These include adaptability, independence, leadership – even charisma.
What part can management education play in developing the international manger? A good deal. Management education can provide training in the so-called “hard” skills such as international marketing and finance and in the so-called “soft” skills such as international relationships. We can easily define certain “hard” skill and knowledge areas that the international manager will need and which are very susceptible to formal education and training approaches. These include an understanding of the global economy and foreign business systems, international marketing, international financial management, political risk analysis and the ability to analyze and develop sophisticated global strategies.
We can also point to some “soft” skill areas such as communication, leadership, motivation, decision-making, team-building and negotiation where research indicates that national cultural differences can have important effects (The international manager is said to spend over half of his or her time in negotiation). International managers need at least to be aware of some of the issues involved. They need, furthermore, not only to be aware of how foreign cultures affect organizational behaviour and management style, but also to understand how their own culture affects their own style.
Task.Answer the questions:
1. Why the 12 categories mentioned in the text are so important for an international
manager.?
2. What is meant by ‘soft’ and ‘hard’skills?
3. Technical and managerial skills and personal qualities – do they help each other? In what way?
4. What is the meaning of the word charisma. Give your examples of
charismatic persons.
5. In what way can education contribute to ‘creating’ an internationally mobile and internationally thinking manager?
T E X T 5
RECRUITING
Managers perform various functions, but one of the most important and least understood aspects of their job is proper utilization of people. Research reveals thatworker performance is closely related to motivation; thus keeping employee motivated is an essential component of good management. In a business context, motivation refers to the stimulus that directs the behavior of workers toward the company goals. In order to achieve company goals, managers must be aware of workers’ needs.
Recruiting good people is a difficult task. It is time-consuming and costly. But a well-chosen labor force will be more productive than a poorly-chosen one. Do a good job of selecting and recruiting employee and they will stay with you. People who work a territory for years build up goodwill for the company; they become well-acquainted with the customers’ needs and are able to give advice rooted in experience. Customers place a lot of confidence in such people. A poorly-selected labor force means a high staff turnover. There are two main reasons for having to recruit: expansion and replacement. But in any case you need to prepare a "man profile". Some of the points that might be included in the man profile are:
age range qualifications
experience single or married
skills personal characteristics
education level physical abilities
foreign languages appearance
.